The final Hunger
by m0okch0ok
Summary: The war is over, but one last hunger games is to be held, but this one has a twist, instead of the tributes coming from the districts, they're from the Capitol. So they too know how it feels.  Happy Hunger games and may the odds be ever in your favour.


"This is the very last Hunger Games that will ever be held, but this one is different, instead of being children from the districts the tributes will be selected from Capitol children. This way they too will know how it feels. Happy hunger games and May the Odds be _ever _in your favour_" _Haymitch's voice echoes around what's left of the Capitol.

I stand shaking in the crowd, I look around slowly, there's not much left of us after the war, it seems that everyone has abandoned the Capitol style and are wearing simple clothes, or maybe that's just all they managed to save. I feel my body tremble and I have to steady myself against the person next to me as memories of the war flash before my eyes as if someone's playing a movie and I'm stuck in the middle of it, I can hear the screams of my family, I can feel the heat around me as the building goes up in flames, I go to scream but it's stuck in my throat and all that comes out is a small wheezing sound, I go to run but my legs are stuck under a fallen beam, I extend my arm for help but everyone keeps running, tears fill my eyes but I refuse to cry, I look up just in time to see the roof cave in on top of my family.

The feeling of someone's hand on my shoulder brings me back; it's my cousin Applet, my only family who survived. I look around and see everyone staring at me, I'm confused for a moment until I realise what's happened. Haymitch is calling out my name and his voice is growing impatient.

"Pearl Dimess, you are the last tribute" Haymitch says, everyone in front of me moves to the side to form a path leading to the stage. I swallow hard and slowly walk up to the stage, I can tell that everyone's eyes are on me but I won't let them see me cry. I know how this game works, I've seen enough of them to know that the ones who cry are thought of as weak and easy and are killed first. I won't let that be me. I go to take another step but my light blue dress has snagged on something on the ground, no one comes to help me they all just watch. I bend down and un-hook it, as I stand up I see the other tributes, twelve boys and eleven other girls, some look strong but most are still damaged from the war and are weak, I make a mental note not to show my weakness and continue walking. When I reach the stairs of the stage I swallow hard and wait a moment, hoping for someone to volunteer to take my place and save me from all this but everyone is silent. I give up on waiting and walk to the centre of the stage and take my place in the line. I see our faces shown on the TVs all over the Capitol and I know it'll be the same in every district, I feel silly standing here with my purple hair, but compared to the rest I look almost normal.

"Let's hear a round of applause for the tributes!" Haymitch yells as he walks to the microphone, blocking me from view, I'm glad I'm hidden as I can feel the tears swelling up in my eyes.

"Thank-you all for co-operating so nicely, happy hunger games" Haymitch says, his voice is almost patronising, when he turns around to face us I can smell alcohol on his breath; I have to cover my mouth to keep from gagging. A curtain comes down and blocks the stage from the view of cameras and the public. "Ok, since there are no victors from the Capitol we will have to use past district victors as your mentors but even they are in short supply. The arena is being prepared as we speak, but since the war wiped out the usual accommodation you will all be staying at a recently built establishment, I hear its very nice even by capitol standard" he says, I see him raise his hand to his left ear and realise that someone's telling him what to say "any questions?" he asks with a half-smile, it's obvious that his trying to act nice, it's a bit of an empty gesture though since his sending twenty-three of us to our death "no good, you may now make your way to the back of the stage where you will be lead to the accommodation" he says.

I wait by Haymitch as the others all make their way to the back of the stage; I notice that some of them have leg injuries that make them unable to walk very far, _easy targets._

"Haymitch" I say as I not-so-lightly tap him on the shoulder, he turns around quickly and stares at me "I'd like you to be my mentor, you're a past victor and I want you"

"Well, I only want the best. Are you good enough?" he says without blinking.

"I'm the best there is" I say with a smile, the good thing about all my family being gone is that no one actually knows me, and that means no one knows my weaknesses or my strengths.

"You'll have to prove that" he says as he walks off. I turn around and jog to the back of the stage, there's only one person left, a young looking boy with dark skin, piercing blue eyes and fiery red hair. He looks normal enough apart from a golden tattoo of a bird engulfed in flames on his left cheek. He turns around and stares at me for a moment, I stare back, both intrigued and terrified of him.

"I'm Caiflin" he says with a wicked grin "and it looks like you're paired up with me until the games"

"I'm pearl, oh how unfortunate" I say with a subtle smile.

"For me or for you?" he asks.

"I guess we'll find out" I say with a wink. He opens his mouth to say something but he stops and just stares, I turn around and see a girl with long brown hair in a braid behind me, I instantly know that it's Katniss, the winner of the seventy-fourth hunger games and the rebel leader in the war. I know I should be terrified, she is responsible for the death of so many people but I can't help but look up to her, she did after all survive the hunger games and manage to save to one she loved and I never liked the people she killed anyway.

"So apparently I'm your mentor" Katniss says blankly.

"Oh really" I say pretending to be disappointed, I asked for Haymitch but Katniss is even better.

"Just don't get us killed" Caiflin says, I think his joking but the tone of his voice says otherwise.

_Got to stop mucking around and get serious_. I think to myself, I stop smiling and stand up straighter, but even now Katniss and Caiflin both tower above me. _Don't worry, lots of tributes have been short, some of the best. What about Rue. _I think trying not to psych myself out, even if Rue didn't win.

"Follow me" Katniss says, she turns on her heels and leads us down the back of the stage to a small car. The car's dark blue with the numbers twelve and eleven written on the side in black ink. Katniss gets in the front passenger seat and I open the back door and get in, Caiflin pushes me across gently so that I'm in the middle seat, I'm tempted to poke my tongue at him but I tell myself not to _you may be twelve but you've got to stop acting like a child, there's no room for children in the hunger games. _I look at the front seat, it's empty but the car starts anyway, as it speeds up I'm flung back into and onto the floor, I hear Caiflin laughing at me but he still helps me into my seat. The rest of the drive we sit in silence, I don't look over at Caiflin once, but I can tell his watching me, probably judging whether he should kill me, make an alliance or to leave me for the others. _Do I want to make an alliance with him? He seems nice enough, but that'll just make it harder when I have to kill him, and he needs to be strong enough so that he won't weigh me down and that he'll be able to watch my back but not so strong that he'll be able to kill me with ease. _I think about it for the remainder of the drive, when the car comes to a stop I make sure I'm the first one out, I want to see the place where I'll most likely be spending the majority of the remainder of my life. It's a tall, black building, with very few windows; it looks more like a prison than anything else. _Seems about right, they are practically sending us to our deaths after all_ I think as I walk through the front door.


End file.
